Days of Rayn
by Aura Kage
Summary: A few (literally) of compositions about"by" CrystalRayn, my less-than-optimistic Shoyress. Mainly for my own amusement. :P
1. Unwanted Transformation

Things to know before reading:

--This fanfiction file is actually an archive of short stories. If you came wanting to read the story that was referred to by the current description/summary, then you'll want to go over to the chapter drop-down list and then read the last entry.

--The stories…are very odd. A lot of them aren't really in place or in a specific time line. They're just kind of…random, miscellaneous. And they are also written on whim, which means basically that they come out sporadically and often not in the best of forms.

Now, in reference to this particular fanfic:

--This is from the perspective of me, Aura Kage.

--I used to have a Glass Shoyru. Then a poll turned all Glass pets into Tyrannian pets. This is the horribly written, frustration-driven result.

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~Disclaimer: Neopets, Shoyrus, and all other whatnot are copyrighted possessions of Neopets.com. Therefore, I myself do not own them – only the story and my opinions.

Unwanted Transformation

By Aura Kage

Everyone has a daily routine when they get into Neopia. Mine starts with a glance at the New Features, because you can manage to look at the latest additions to the site without having to log in, and this way you know which places to look for new things, and whether you have to do anything special at all.

The first thing that caught my eye was a picture of a Shoyru – the ugliest, most pitiful looking Shoyru I'd ever seen. It had glaring mahogany eyes, somewhat of a little mane with leopard spots, a sickly yellow coat, and a tail that was shielded with a hard shingle, tipped with an arrow. Tyrannian colored, I knew that instantly – no other paintbrush could have such a…less-than-beautiful color. I knew I wouldn't be getting one soon, and left.

I went to check on Fyrlyte, who now spent his days at Dark Skye, lazing around, chatting, and doing various other things with his own species. He greeted me with a lazy wave of his tail, and I left – nothing interesting was happening at the time, and what _did _happen that was interesting usually didn't involve Fyrlyte, his sister, or his cousins and two neices in any way. One thing I _did_ know was that Fyr was enlisting in an army, and so was Arimah – who was what I liked to call an "AiShoy," for reasons of my own. I wasn't so afraid, because Fyrlyte was a strong Eyrie and Arimah was only to do small jobs inside the Clan – besides, the place had had seasons of peace.

I left and went straight to the Games, where I went through three rounds of Meerca Chase before leaving for Mystery Island to try a draw in Tombola. Much to my well-worn disappointment, I headed back to Neopia with a bag of Neopoints and a can of peas. I deposited the latter at the Money Tree and started up Main Street, counting the houses until I got to ours.

Our NeoHome – or maybe my _Neopets'_ home – was made entirely of Bamboo, since I was poor at the time. Since I couldn't afford Wooden rooms but didn't want to set my Neopets into Cardboard rooms, I decided upon Bamboo, the cheap, rigid alternative.

I opened the door and sauntered in, dropping the Neopoints on the floor and leaning the door to have it shut. Sighing tiredly, I waited for some sign of life inside the house.

"Aura, is that you?" a voice called from not far away. Before I could reply, Cureia walked forth, pretty lavender eyes narrowed in exhaustion. Trailing after her were MoonKist and StarKist – her twin "Shoybies" – Shoyru young-lings. We had reasoned out this term for ourselves, saying that baby Shoyrus were neither cubs, nor pups, nor chicks, nor any other sort of weird youthful thing. "_Aura_, you're _home_!"

"Yeah…I've got the Neopoints, and if you want a quick supper I can go grab something from the Omelette –"

"Om_g_, with the sobbing and the crying and the sulking and the whining – I didn't think I could _take_ it anymore!" Cureia continued, going on as if she hadn't heard me. Moon and Stark frowned and kind of cowered back. "Aura…om_g_ – I need you to watch Moon and Stark while _I_ go out for a little and try to rescue Ashie."

Moon was short for MoonKist, Stark was Star's nickname – there were so many "star's" in Neopia that Cureia had decided to nickname her daughter "Stark" – and Ashie was Cureia's mate. Ash had been trapped for six months, his owner (whom I knew personally) having been hacked…TheNeopetsTeam (who was in our family referred to as "TNT" for obvious reasons) had done absolutely nothing about it, and we were still trying to get it back.

Cureia waved her paws in the air in frustration, picked up Moon and Stark, and deposited them at my feet with a grateful sigh; then she opened the door, walked out, and slammed it shut.

"Well, then," I said conversationally, picking up the two baby Shoyrus. They were both blue, and flawlessly identical except for their foreheads – on one was a crescent moon, on the other was a star. Hence their names, and how you could tell them apart. "I guess she's been in _that_ mood all day…poor things. Be careful not to even _try_ to _sound_ like whining, or else-"

"We not whining, Aura-san!" Moon replied with youthful accent, squirming delightedly in my arms as I walked into the pitiful excuse for a kitchen.

"Yah, Muffer Cway-uh gotted mad at Antie Wayn," Stark agreed, nodding so rapidly that I was sure her head would fall off.

"Got mad at Rayn? Why?"

"A'caused Rayn's day-mon was all 'round da house _cryin_'," Moon answered. Rayn's "day-mon" was actually her petpet – a Bluna named Aurora. Rayn liked to call her a daemon because daemons were creatures that were almost like souls to their owners, and both could not stand being apart. But that's another story…Phillip Pullman'sThe Golden Compass. I highly recommend it, by the way.

"Oh, _dear_," I cooed, placing the Shoyrus on the Fresh Bamboo Table. "And you two were so _brave_ to listen to Mother Cureia, weren't you?"

"Yea, Aura-san!"

"Okay, then…well, you two just raid the Safety Deposit Box for _anything_ you'd like to eat," I told them, tweaking their noses. I was terribly fond of Shoyrus, and they were terribly fond of chocolate, which I had stored up because I found them at a low price and couldn't resist.

"Yay!" they chorused together, and then scampered off. I watched them for a moment, then sighed and headed up the stairs. If Rayn were sulking, like Cureia had said, then it would most likely be in her room.

As soon as I placed my foot on the top step, an ice blue blur shot out from behind a corner and hissed at me. Aurora, the Bluna – she had a cute serpentine form complete with billowing fins and large eyes. Her whole body was encased in an aura of some sort that I guessed helped her float in the air like that. She snarled and lunged at me, and I backed quickly. Touching a Bluna when it didn't want to be touched could give someone a bad case of frostbite, as you've probably heard in some Petpet shops.

"Shh, Aurora!" I said, trying to said comforting. "Hey, hey…it's okay, it's alright –"

"Rawr!" Aurora replied maliciously, baring unseen fangs. I backed further, then hardened my attitude.

"Hey, you," I said in a threatening voice. "If you don't behave, then I'll take you away from Rayn and sell you – you _know_ Blunas are in demand for some people who want elegant, pricey petpets, and I can put you up at a thousand Neopoints."

At this, Aurora frowned at me but closed her jaw, then "slithered" off with a reluctant growl. I proceeded to the top floor and cautiously confronted Rayn's door, then opened it. The room was dark – the lights hadn't been turned on.

"G…go away," a voice growled. It was Rayn's, and it trembled as if she were crying, and sounded terribly hoarse.

"It's just me, Rayn –"

"Go away!" Rayn repeated, this time in a further demanding tone.

"Rayn, Cureia told me you were sulking –"

"That's right, I am! Now _go!_"

"Raayyn…here, let me at least turn on the lights for you," I said, moving my hand around the wall and feeling for the switch.

"_NO!_" Rayn cried out suddenly. It was too late – I flipped the switch, and started looking around for my Shoyress's diamond form.

"Rayn…?" I called. "Where are you?"

"Go away…" Rayn restated. I followed her voice, and found a sickly yellow and brown blob curled in the corner of the room. I recognized it immediately – the hideous Tyrannian Shoyru. Rayn peeked up from her new leopard-spot mane and stared at me with eyes glazed over in sadness, with a body that looked more male than female. "Okaasan…look what they _did_ to me…"

I was taken aback. For one, Rayn had never called me "okaasan" before – that meant "mother." For two, "_they"_ were TheNeopetsTeam. For three…how in the world had my pretty little Shoyru become a _monster_?

Crystal_Rayn had had a hard life from the start. I found her at the Neopian Pound about a month after I started Neopets. She was a Yellow Shoyru, curled up at the back of her cage, a day old and already abandoned. Since I had wanted a Shoyru ever since I had seen them, but because a baby Eyrie (Fyrlyte) was too much to handle, I had never gotten one. But seeing that little creature huddled down at the back of the cage…

Needless to say, I adopted her and attempted to re-introduce Rayn into her new home, showing her various toys and books that Fyrlyte had discarded because they were too boring. After a while, she began warming to me, and I to her, and later I eventually scraped together enough Neopoints to buy her a Glass Paint Brush so that she would match her color.

Then the Tyrannian War came about. Rayn wanted to battle badly, and so I brought her to war to try her luck against the Tyrannian Korbats. She didn't stand a chance – in the first round, she was knocked out and I rushed her to the Healing Faerie. That was another strike against her pride – being disowned, then being defeated by the easiest opponents imaginable.

Then her boyfriend, Trenku, had decided that he didn't like a Shoyress with a loss in the Battledome and dumped her. This ultimately saddened Rayn and we heard no further word from Trenku about having another Shoyress for a girlfriend or that he was even _alive_ anymore.

Then I had gotten Chibi_Finn for her, and this made her extremely happy. It was actually supposed to be for Cureia, but she had dismissed it as disgusting and I gave it to Rayn instead. She was happy with her Searex, but it wasn't long before I went broke and had to sell the poor thing in order to feed the three of them (Arimah was not born yet) to keep them alive. Then I got Aurora, the Bluna…this was the best petpet for Rayn, I thought, because it matched her perfectly – in both color and personality. After that first day, Aurora would let no one touch her except for Rayn and "Rawr'd" at anyone who hurt her owner.

And now this…

"Th…they changed all G-glass p-p-pets into Ty-tyrannian on-ones," Rayn explained, looking away. "B-because of a p-poll…"

That, I thought, was the most ridiculous thing that could ever happen. For one, the people who probably voted on that poll were people who _didn't_ have Glass pets, and just wanted to have a new color.

"Rayn…here, I'll bring you out and paint you Blue right now –"

"No!" Rayn protested, looking back up. "That'll mean taking me to the Rainbow Pool…in front of _everyone_…"

"Rayn…you can't stay here forever! And after I paint you blue, I'll paint you…paint you _Desert_, how about that?"

Rayn sniffed and didn't answer, so I left, calling back to tell her to take care of Moon and Stark. Aurora snarled softly at me as I passed, but I paid no attention; already I could see the shining gold and navy stripes of a Desert Paint Brush, and it didn't matter _how_ much Neopoints I had to spend…


	2. A Role to Play

Things to know before reading:

--An "essay" by Crystal_Rayn, obviously in her perspective, about intimate family life and Neopian life in general.

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~Disclaimer: I do not own Neopets and other such Neopets-related things.

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A Role to Play

Crystal_Rayn, Owner AuraKage

Language Arts, P04, Mr. Orauk

Month of Collecting, Day 6

Essay: Describe the roles of Neopia and

where you fit into them

Everyone has a role to play. That's the rule. In order to _be_ somebody, you've got to _be_ something. A guardian, a keeper…a mystical reincarnation, a magical being. Good or evil. In some cases, you have wings and/or special markings…you know, things to set you apart, entrancing distinctions. Physical, emotional, and/or mental differences that scream: "I'm DIFFERENT!"

That's how it is in every Neopian family, including mine – even though I doubt it really constitutes as an actual "family." For one, we aren't blood-related at all. I have a brother and two sisters. My brother's an Eyrie, easily about twenty times larger than me, and has feathers and fur. Out of my two sisters, one is an Aisha at heart, and the other, despite the fact that we are of the same species, is a fashion freak.

Basically, I'm saying that I would probably kill myself if I was I was _really_ related to her.

But anyway, back to my earlier ramble…roles. You've got to have them. My brother, Fyrlyte, is the eldest and practically eats codestones everyday for breakfast. I pity any poor soul that gets in the way of his "talons" (a fancy way to say "bird-claws") or his massive beak (a fancy way to say "really big mouth"). But no, I guess he isn't as omnipotent as I think he'd hope to be – I've seen him knocked out several times by many Neopets, most of which had items that were worth up to the millions or were at an amazing, unfair advantage.

My first sister is my fashion freak sister, and her name's Cureia. She has a problem. She's snobby, conceited – she buys _brushes_, for Faerie's sake! No, not those fancy, expensive brushes that change your color…the ones from the Beauty Parlor run by that insane Uni. Now, see, this wouldn't be a problem, except…Shoyru's don't have _hair_. Not _visible_ hair, anyway – it's more like a very fine fur, in my owner's opinion. She's the most horrible, bigoted Shoyress that I've ever met – yet, we are bond as sisters by Aura.

Now, my last sister, Arimah, or 'Rimah…she's got a problem, too. But not the kind of problem that 'Reia has – no, it's not that serious or blood curdling. She was an Aisha…_was_. Then, when Aura had finally come to the inevitable conclusion that she would never obtain a Faerie Paint Brush (to both mine and Fyr's relief), she settled instead for the much easier goal of getting a Shoyru Morphing Potion and Starry Paint Brush. Thus, she became a Starry "AiShoyress"…and for some reason now will not act her age, though she is much, _much_ older than a lot of Neopets today.

Well, at least Aura has someone to fawn over and call her "liddle baby." I think Fyr got tired of it when he became a year old, and _I_ certainly didn't like it all that much. In fact, I think I prefer Rimah this way as well – if not only because she's a bit too dull to grasp the idea of "cosmetics." Not that there _is_ an idea in that, mind you.

And, of course, there's my owner, Aura. She's nice, I guess – she doesn't bother with fancy ranks for herself such as "guardian" or "keeper," like most chronic, "diehard" Neopians. I mean, sure, there was that one time when she left us for dead and came back about three months later, ladling out old omelettes and several pitchers of melted ice cream – but I know that she loves us, in that strange way that a person can love…well, anything, really, no matter what they are. She tries to take care of us, though, and even though she misses a day or two in feeding and games, and…well, she tries. She is the adhering force in our entire family – without her, we would all probably separate as fast as we could, but as it is we've learned to tolerate and _perhaps_ understand each other, however minimal that comprehending may be.

Now, you might be wondering…what's the role that _I_ play in this "family?" Or, you might be wondering…when am I going to stop rambling? Or maybe, why did I even write this essay anyway, when I obviously didn't bother doing the other ones assigned prior to this time? Well, to all of those questions…I don't know, really.

See, Fyr's the warrior, albeit horrible sense of dry humor and sarcasm. 'Reia's the fashion freak, but for all that her big bloated head weighs, I'll admit that she _does_ look like she could model for the cover of _Neopian Beauty_. And 'Rimah, well…'Rimah's just strange, but in a strange, cute kind of way.

Me, well…I was adopted from the Neopian Pound at a day old, painted Glass, turned Tyrannian, painted Blue, and finally painted Desert. I've been given a rejected Petpet that, sadly, was sold for lack of Neopoints and a promise of a better Petpet. My current Bluna has a little bit of an attitude problem (okay, I admit; she gets it from me) and my boyfriend's really never around anymore. I am, and reminded constantly (but good-naturedly) that I am the bottomless hole that most of Aura's Neopoints goes to. At my school, Tawny Heights, _I'm_ picked out as the conceited one instead of my sister because I've been painted so many times and have a rather expensive Petpet.

Well, it's not _my_ problem I was a Yellow Shoyru named _Crystal__Rayn. It's not _my_ fault that a massive poll in Neopia determined that all Glass pets would become Tyrannian, even though most of the voters most likely weren't even Glass Neopet owners and just wanted to see something new. And it certainly isn't because of _me_ that Aura compensated for the loss of my Searex with a Bluna that would better match my color and my mood. In fact, I doubt that those Neopets even know me at all – which is probably another unconscious reason why I started writing this in the first place, for you, Mr. Orauk, Lenny teacher of Room 616 who assigns too much homework.

I have no physical markings, except for my eyes, which Aura insists are a bright, brilliant azure, the lasting remains of my long-lost beloved Glass coat. People, Neopians and pets alike, think that I have a permanent scowl and bad look on my face, as if I was radiating an aura of: "Don't mess with me; leave me alone. I hate you – yes, _you_."

I've been suspended for multiple counts of fighting and a single count Petpet-assault, the latter of which was, I am convinced, an extremely cruel, biased act by the principal, who had heard too many rumors of my supposedly evil mind. Aurora, my Bluna, had wandered (well, floated) into the school by accident, trying to look for me, and some ignorant Chia had enough stupidity welled up into his pathetic Selket-sized mind that he had the amazingly brilliant idea to _touch_ her.

For those of you who don't know a certain serpentine Tyrannian Petpet as well as I do, well, touching a Bluna when they don't know you is like committing suicide. Their skin is coated with a kind of bright, glowing chemical that they naturally develop as they grow older, and this chemical is highly poisonous to Neopets. I've read a lot about them, see, and this is basically what the book said, word for word: _…as soon as the Bluaroid chemical touches a Neopet, regardless of skin, fur, or feathers, some of the chemical is then transferred into the Neopet, instantly disabling or killing nerves and blood cells, thus causing mass "frostbite." But unlike frostbite, the chemical has a long lasting, if not fatal, effect, and oftentimes results in permanent damage and paralysis. This is thought to be a natural self-defense and hunting mechanism…_

So, basically, it means that anyone who touches them risks the ability to touch _anything_. Unfortunately, the Chia escaped with nothing more than a faint numbness in his paw for the rest of his life, and he can dip it in boiling water without feeling a thing if he so chose.

If you ask me, all Neopets entering the Battledome should get treated with this stuff. Then they wouldn't be crying so badly when they get beaten. I should know _Fyrlyte_ did it enough when he was younger…

But anyway, back to the main topic…if you were to meet me walking around on the populated streets of Neopian Central, you probably wouldn't notice me – unless it was to take note that I'm Desert, a much-sought color during these present days of mass-inflation. Or if I were in a bad mood, in which I would probably be wreaking massacre amongst the trees on the side of the road. I'm glad to say that I passed through that 'phase' in my life, though, and I only severely damage trees when my mental capacity is unable to retain the fact that killing flora is wrong.

I'm not a guardian or keeper of anything, except maybe my Bluna and myself. If you were to ask me of my greatest victory in the Battledome, I would probably tell you of the time when my opponent slipped in the Ice Arena at just about the same time my by-that-time-numb paw had accidentally triggered my Lightning Beam, and by some amazing, lucky chance the beam had rocketed about a hundred times over a hundred reflective surfaces and finally KO'd my enemy. If you were to ask how my owner got so rich as to be able to paint me three different colors and give me a Bluna, I would probably tell you about how I live off omelettes and the shop till. If you were to tell me that I was an over-reactive, short-tempered, morbid little Shoyru, then I would probably agree with you.

Because, you see, even though I have no special ability to be proud of, and no accomplishment in my past such as saving the whole of Neopia or rescuing some Faerie from danger…well, that alone makes me a Neopian anomaly.

And you know what? I'm DIFFERENT!


	3. Be Not Afraid

Things to know before reading:

--Perspective of Rayn, wrote while I was being deprived of the Internet – consequently, sentimental junk like this suddenly poured from my system, into the computer somehow.

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~Disclaimer: I do not own Neopets or Neopets-related things which belong solely to Neopets.com, which is an amazingly off-unison name for such a trademark as "Neopets."

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Be Not Afraid

By Aura Kage

"Be not afraid, I go before you always…come, follow me, and I will lead you home…" Aura sang softly, rocking the sniffling Arimah back and forth in her lap as they both watched my namesake pour from the skies in a torrent of watery bullets. Then again, I suppose it wasn't _really_ my namesake – my name was "Rayn," while this was actually a "storm." Though I think I would have been quite happier if my name were "Crystal_Storm." I think it sounded more like me than "Rayn" did. But anyway.

I took off my pitiful, cheap excuse for a raincoat and wrung it on the plush carpet. This earned something of an exasperated sigh from my owner that I ignored. I walked over and hung it on a hook studded into the wall while Aurora, my Bluna, made something of a hollow hiss and arched her back before shaking, scattering raindrops on the ground, and darting off into the kitchen to find something to eat.

Outside, thunder roared, and I sighed and stretched my wings, flapping them slowly, savoring the feel of cramped muscles uncoiling. I took off several items of beautiful but otherwise useless items of Desert costume, including that stupid gold-navy headdress…if I just hawked it out on the market, I knew I would be able to get a few million Neopoints from it, but Aura forbid that. In truth, I just think that she didn't know how to sell my headdress, or that it's explicitly forbidden by the utmost Rulers of Fate in Neopia.

"You may walk the war-torn valley, and you will not fear for death," Aura continued, watching me intently. "You will travel through the desert, though you will not die of thirst…you will speak to those of foreign lands and all will understand – you'll never face the danger alone. Be not afraid, I go before you always…come, follow me, and I will lead you home."

My owner's soprano voice seemed to cut through the weather's outrage outside. For a moment I considered sitting down and listening myself; I remember when _I_ was the youngest, long ago, I would love it when she would sing to me. By the look in her eyes, I knew that she wouldn't object, though she would probably grant me a few lines good-natured teasing.

From her comfortably position in Aura's arms my youngest sister, who would always be the youngest, stirred with a small purr of content and peered over at me with her ill-matched eyes, one a sparkling, brilliant gold and the other a metallic, deep blue. She moved her crimson scarf from where it had settled over her lower face and grinned.

"Rayn! Come join us!" she cried, waving a hand as if to get my attention. As if she didn't have it in the first place. Poor little thing – sheltered from most of the evils from Neopia, her pose un-hunched from lack of carrying the weight on her shoulders. I suppose this was entirely our fault – "our" being my other siblings, Aura, and of course, me. We already took care of most of the things in the world; in truth, there really wasn't much left for little Rimah to do. Aura did Neopoints and all those other complicated things, Fyrlyte took care of battling away evils, Cureia was Miss Neopia, and I was Lady Pessimist.

Not that I was jealous or that I hated my youngest sister. I was perfectly happy living in a world filled with half-empty glasses. (Though I understand that that the last sentence was somewhat contradicting, it was important to know that my meaning was that I was satisfied with my life as it was, even if I often didn't feel like it.) I loved Rimah, unlike my _other_ sister, and if she liked being cuddled and cooed at, well, then more cuddling and cooing to her.

"No thanks," I replied dully, walking forward towards the stairs. The architecture of our NeoHome was absolutely horrible – the lower floor was a loop of rooms with a hallway cutting through the center, which also led to a stairwell right in the center of the house. Upstairs, there was no hallway at all – merely a long shaft like a sun-window going upwards, and curtain-doors that led off to our rooms. But now that we had all of our Extensions mostly paid for, demolishing a room to recreate a hallway would be a huge dent to our Neopoints…and frankly, the idea of starving to keep up Neopian living standards and convenience didn't appeal to me.

"Are you sure?" Aura asked as I plodded wetly up the stairs. Her voice sounded strange and low and rough now that she wasn't singing – it always bothered me how her speaking voice could be so…humble. To put it lightly.

"Yep," was my flat reply.

"Alr_i_ght_…_!" Rimah called up to me from downstairs, in a tone of voice that said: "Well, okay, but you're missing out…I hope you know that."

"And don't forget that you need to pick up 'Rimah from Ryushu-Sensei tomorrow!" Aura reminded me. My mind ran to find the meaning of _sensei_ – Aura was taking Japanese lessons in her own school, darn her, so she used the words everytime she got a chance. "I've got a Codestone for her and I'm dropping her off before I go to school, so she should be back by the time I get back!"

Oh, yes. Teacher. Ryushu-Teacher.

"Mmmkay!" I agreed, exasperated, as I opened the door to Fyrlyte's room. His was the only room that had been furnished, and he didn't really even _live_ here often…he was usually with his clan, with other Eyries, including his mate and cub. I've met the latter before – he's a cute "little" bundle of red and blue feathers whose already about my size despite the fact I'm a year older than him. Then again, Eyries tend to get quite large. Again, to put it lightly.

Anyway, Fyrlyte's room was the only one that was furnished – therefore, it was the only one with a bed and actual furniture. I was still waiting for the day when Aura would get enough motivation to start on _our_ rooms, but I had an idea that it would come around next month or so.

I flopped down on the Bamboo Bed, unhitching my backpack from between my wings and setting it down on the bed, immediately wetting the soft jade-colored sheets. With a heavy sigh, I opened the bag and lifted out the heavy contents as well as a few sheets of paper and pencils filed down to about two inches long each.

Something else fell from the bag and _clacked_ noisily on the floor – I growled in frustration and flapped my wings hard, sending an eruption of raindrops splattering everywhere. I bent down from the side of the bed, absentmindedly lifting up what had fallen while I eyed the liquid mess in distaste; oh well, nothing to do for it. All the water would probably dry by tomorrow anyway.

I looked at what had fallen as I sat up on the bed. It was a Star Compact Mirror, and I saw the initials labeled in fat purple ink in one of the corners – AT.

I frowned at it. It was Reia's stupid vanity mirror; the initials stood for her fancy   
"nickname," Azure Tigress, which had been given by Aura herself. Cureia was a Striped Shoyress with a hot temper that rivaled my own, so it was an appropriate name. Aura, though somewhat sensible, was one of those insane owners that took a lot of pride in her Neopets. Too much pride, if you ask me. We're not exactly a bunch to be extra-special proud of.

Stupid Reia had probably stuck it in my bag to back up one of her bigoted preppy jokes…probably the one she had played this morning too, daring stupid DarkElite to kiss me, saying that I was too ugly and anyone who got within an inch radius of me would probably shrivel up and die. Since Reia said she would give anyone who took up her challenge a date, DarkElite had stepped up and pecked me on the cheek. Literally, since DarkElite was a Pteri.

The result was that I had punched the little creep in the face, and he had enough sense not to report me to the principal, since he himself would be probably expelled for sexual harassment.

I sighed and gingerly rubbed the growing red spot on my left cheek that had been hidden from Aura and Rimah, and set the mirror down on the bed.

By some ethereal miracle of sorts, it opened. And by instinct, I looked to see what had created the abrupt click, and saw myself. The Desert "mascara" that swirled from the back of my sky-blue eyes dripping and messed up, my head and neck looking almost bare and amazingly small without the headdress and beaded necklaces to adorn them. I snarled silently at my image and kicked the stupid mirror off the bed; I heard a satisfying tinkle of glass shattering as it landed.

I turned back to my homework, mascara-stained water dripping onto the paper, and tried to make out Mr. Orauk's idiotic prepositional phrases.

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Darn this rain, I thought to myself sourly as I made my way up the hill towards the brightly-lit Training School. I was completely drenched, and this Desert coloring wasn't as water-resistant as my old, banished Glass one – if anything, it _absorbed_ the water. Probably because it originated out in Sahkmet, when 'water' and 'cold' was a much-needed commodity for both life and comfort.

Too bad I lived in Neopia.

I shuddered as I stepped onto the porch of the school, resisting the overwhelming urge to throw off my coat and just risk wandering out in the rain back home. But no, that would be like suicide – someone could easily drown in this weather.

__

I don't care what_ my old owner thought before she threw me in the Fates-forsaken Pound; rain is _horrible.

My breath manifesting in steam-outlined puffs of air before me; I stepped through them and up to the familiar lump sitting on the front steps of the School, waiting for me. I had left Aurora at home; she hated this weather as much as I did, and I wasn't about to ring her though it just because I wanted some company. Nope, I was perfectly fine by myself, thank you.

"Next time let's tell Aura to send you to the Academy when she wants to raise your stats," I muttered bitterly to Rimah as she stood up. She frowned out at the rain herself, and nodded.

"Yeah, it's supposed t'be warm out on th'island," Arimah agreed, nodding furiously. She walked up to be, easily twenty centimeters shorter – Aishas are smaller than Shoyrus, and when she had transformed, it had done nothing for her size. She shivered when we walked out into the rain together, she huddling close to my rain-saturated cloak. A Forest Cloak, to be exact, one of Fyrlyte's old forsaken Battledome weapons.

"It's cold," she sniffled, hugging closer to my arm.

"Yep, it's cold, alright," I agreed half-heartedly, sparing her my acrid sarcasm. She would interpret it as me being angry at her, and would probably go on to incessant questions of what she had done wrong. It had been sweet – the first time. Unfortunately, I wasn't very fond of little ones.

****

~~

I cursed and ripped the cloak from my shivering frame, taking it and slamming it down on the puddle-ridden ground, where it emitted a wet _plack_. And even more _plack_'s as I hopped up and stomped on it, while Arimah watched on fearfully from the lee of a tree trunk.

I stood there for a moment, glaring, as if this were her fault. It wasn't, of course, and it was unfair of me to be so open with my emotions – and to taint her poor little ears with my colorful language. But now wasn't the time to be considerate.

We had un-boarded the boat at the main Neopian Harbor, the only ones there, which in my opinion was a mark of our sanity. From there, we had walked back to Neopian Central…or so I thought.

I got lost. Seriously. I couldn't believe how _stupid_ and immature I had become, to lose track of where we were and getting lost in my own musings. The next thing I knew, when I had pulled my head back down from the clouds – we were in the middle of some massive forest, with Arimah asking me meekly if I could give her something to eat.

Lightning crackled across the sky like a vein of brightness on endless slate. I couldn't even see a patch of sky up there – if only I could just _fly_ and see where the city lights were, we would be able to make it home…

But I wasn't about to risk getting deep-fried by a strand of electron-friction or whatever lightning was.

"I'm hungry," Arimah squeaked, her voice ever-so-tiny in the magnitude of the storm.

"So'm I," I told her, lifting up the cloak and walking back to the tree. No use to try to find our way out of this stupid forest – we would just get more lost than we already were, and probably wander into hostile Lupe territory to boot. Fyrlyte had told me about several packs of territorial Lupes that took residence in forests – his clan had fought one out of rightful Dark Skye territory once, though he hadn't been directly involved, as he was watching over his mate, who was at the moment 'heavy with cub'. But even though a group of Eyrie warriors could probably fight out a group of Lupe warriors, I didn't want to see what chances a single Shoyress about half the size and power with her little baby sister could do.

Thunder roared, lightning flashed; Arimah squealed in fear and lunged towards me, encasing my arm in a circulation-stopping embrace. I resisted a snarl and compulsion to strangle her for coming within the perimeters of my personal bubble, and merely let her take whatever comfort she could. If she could get any comfort at all. I'm sure Aura could have done a much better job, but she is, of course, our owner of about nineteen months. She knows what she's doing.

Me? I'm a _Shoyru_. I'm a Shoyru with a less-than-favorable past with an immense dislike for, yes, almost everything.

I don't like others hanging off my arms as if I'm their last hope for life.

But I guess I'll give 'Rimah a chance. So long as she doesn't tell 'Reia, of course, who would naturally go around the school babbling about how I'm just a sentimental softy underneath that ugly Desert coat. Inevitably, word would get to Mindi, the school Psychiatrist, and she would bring me back to her Fates-forsaken office filled with happy, smiling suns and Fuzzy Bears and write on her Fates-forsaken clipboard murmuring, "It's a breakthrough, a breakthrough!"

"Don't tell Reia, mmkay?" I told Arimah, in the softest, most soothing voice I could muster.

"Dunt tell Reia wha?"

"Don't tell her I'm letting you hang off my arm like a parasite, that's what."

"Whazza parasite?"

"A role in a relationship between two organisms in which the role benefits and the other is harmed," I explained, directly quoting my Biology textbook. Arimah must have sensed that asking about the meaning of what I just said would earn her a particularly poisonous comeback and shut up. Good for her.

We sat in silence, listening to the raindrops slide off the branches of the tree hunkered above us, and with every loud noise Rimah flinched, squeaked, and tightened her hold on my arm.

I wondered what time it was. Had an hour even passed yet? Was it night yet? If the answer to the latter was "yes," then I would get a verbal flaying when I got home. And even if Aura might be a pacifist at heart, I've seen enough of her "angry mode" to last me a lifetime.

"Rayn…" Arimah said tentatively, looking up at me with her large eyes.

"What…?" I asked, again trying to be as agreeable and "big-sisterly" as I could.

"Can you sing t'me?"

"Why?" I inquired, trying in vain to be good-natured.

"'Cause Aura always sings t'me, and it always makes me feel better," Arimah explained, looking forward and down at her star-stamped legs and feet.

I sighed. Well, she _was_ my little sister. And she _was_ very scared in all this weather, and the reason we were out here in the first place _was_ because of me. Besides, no one other than me and some feral, feeble-minded thing might be listening…and if something evil wandered up, then at least I'd be able to scare them away before they got too close.

"Alright, what do you want me to sing?" I agreed reluctantly. She brightened at my assent and leaned against my shoulder, making my insides tremble with revulsion at this violation of personal space.

"That one song Aura was singin' earlier, yest'day," Arimah decided quickly.

"'Be Not Afraid?'"

"Yeah!"

I sighed again. I knew those lyrics – I'd heard them enough times when I was little to _not_ remember them. I'm sure even Fyrlyte knew them…though I knew Fyrlyte wouldn't be caught dead singing himself. Heck, I doubt anyone at all could be caught dead singing, at least not at the same time.

"Alright…" I said, and straightened my back and took in a deep breath. Just as I was about to start, my breath faltered, and I felt my face grow warm – embarrassed?

__

ARGH, Rayn, now's not the stupid time!

"Alright, hold on, let me just…think of the first line," I said lamely. But it was true – for some reason the first line of the song had just…evaporated from my brain.

"You may walk the war-torn valley…" Arimah began for me, her own voice high and off-pitch. I coughed, started, and felt my face grow warm – which was somewhat relieving, because I was sure that it was no longer animate, due to its earlier numbness.

"That's right…er…" I took another deep breath, cursing myself silently, and began. "You may walk the…war-torn valley…and you will not fear for death. You will tra-vel through the de-sert, and you will not die of thirst…you will speak to those of for-eign lands, and all will un-der-stand…you'll never face the dan-ger…alone…

"Be not afraid, I go before you always. Come, follow me, and I will lead you home."

I felt the blush cool from my face and sighed in relief, hoped that Arimah wouldn't beg me to continue. That was the whole song – actually, there was more, but Aura could never remember it, and so never sang it.

"Mmmm…" Arimah said contentedly, giving a wide yawn and settling her head against my shoulder. "You have a pretty voice, Rayn. It's all high…like Aura's…"

"Ehm…thanks," I said, genuinely pleased, though I knew that Arimah was just lying – it was the nature of little kids, to lie and say everything was really good even if they, in truth, weren't.

"Sing…some more…please?" Arimah yawned. Well, at least the little…Shoyru…was falling asleep. It would mean that I would have to stay up and keep watch, of course, but at least I would be able to do so without risking the circulation to my arm cut off completely.

I smiled despite myself – how long had it been since I'd gotten a comment from someone other than the all-praising Aura? Even if it _was_ just my ignorant, respect-bound little sister, it felt nice. Maybe this was why Reia was so stuck-up – she was high on complements, everyone approving of her…beauty. It was all just paint and makeup, if you ask me.

I looked up to the slate-gray sky and chose a different song.

"Listen to the rhythm of the pouring rain, telling me just how wonderful I feel…I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain…then let me be alone again."

"Aww, sing another one," Arimah said. "Tha' one's too sad."

Sad? To my surprise, I voiced it.

"Yeah, sad," Arimah responded. "'Cause it's about how some guy was dumped, and he's all depressed…"

Now _how_ would-

"Aura sings it all the time," Arimah answered to my unvoiced question, a yawn immediately following.

"Alright, well…"

"'Be Not Afraid.'" Arimah pleaded. "I" – lightning crackled, and she flinched – "like tha' one."

"Mmmkay," I sighed. "Well…um…"

"'You may…'"

"You may walk the war-torn valley, and you will not fear for death…you will travel through the desert, and you will not die of thirst…you will speak to those of foreign lands, and all will understand…you'll never face the danger alone…be not afraid, I go before you always…come, follow me…"

Arimah yawned again, stretching her arms and almost poking me in the eye. "Pretty voice…" she murmured, before her whole body went limp and her breathing calm and controlled; obviously asleep. I smiled again, a repeat of the rare phenomenon that almost tore my cheek muscles.

"…and I will lead you home."


End file.
